Snowy Days
by XFallenAngelXxX
Summary: Today was Lisa's fifth birthday. Her parents, Zael and Calista, were too busy (it seemed) and it was snowing - her least favorite weather. What is she going to do now? Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1

Snow. It was the one thing Lisa dreaded the most. Whenever there was snow, Aria couldn't always come to the castle and her mother, Calista, would be with her father Zael. The fact that her older brother Horace was gone at Ariela's tavern didn't make things better. Now that Horace was seven, he began wandering around Lazulis City more often. But today was the worst possible day they could all choose to be busy—today was Lisa's birthday. She was officially five years old, and no one seemed to remember.

Pouting, she hissed at the maid in her room, who flinched. All of the maids knew Lisa was notorious for throwing huge fits when she was unhappy. Either way, the maid would not end up very happy. Lisa sighed. Snow. She could see the little snowflakes clearly through her window. Snow. Her worst nightmare on her birthday. She should have been used to it, but she hated it so much. It would always make her sad somehow.

Tentatively, she toddled out of her room and roamed the castle until she found what she was looking for—the living quarters for those not in her family. She walked near each of the doors. No one had lived in them since Jirall's death and Calista's marriage to Zael, who was also living in one of the rooms until recently.

Lisa paused. Strangely, she could hear someone talking inside Zael's old room, although no one was supposed to be there. She tried the door knob, but it was locked. The person inside was apparently now aware of her presence, so she quickly ran to the room where her parents were working, guarded by a single knight. Truthfully, Lisa knew that both her parents didn't need protection as they could both fight the entire army of Lazulis Knights—minus Therius, of course—and win easily against them. She rushed in, ignoring the protest of a nearby maid and the knight guarding the door.

"Mama! I heard someone talking in Papa's old room!" she cried. Calista and Zael looked up from their mountain of paperwork. They shared a look and Calista walked over to Lisa.

"Lisa, there isn't anyone in there and you know it. How could you hear someone talking?" Calista asked gently. Lisa pouted.

"But I did hear!" she protested. Calista smiled.

"Well, you haven't been sleeping very well lately. Maybe you're just tired?" she suggested. Now that her mother mentioned it, Lisa did feel a little tired. She nodded semi-sleepily and wandered away towards her room, closing the door behind her. Unbeknownst to Lisa, her parents were slightly panicked inside.

"Zael, she heard Yurick and Aria talking inside! What are we going to do? She can get anyone to open the door, and the secret will be out!" Zael patted Calista's arm.

"Calm down, Calista. Your daughter is not that spoiled, unless she's angry about something. Today's her birthday, and you know if it snows, she gets into a mood. Just let her let off some steam. She'll be okay." The couple smiled at each other, until they were somewhat rudely interrupted by Mirania opening the doors.

"Oh, was I interrupting something?" she asked slyly. Zael shook his head.

"Not really Mirania. What is it?" he sounded slightly annoyed, much to the amusement of the women. Mirania cleared her throat.

"Well, it's about Lowell and Syrenne. We took Syrenne to a check up at the doctor's office and… Oh, she's pregnant, Zael." Stunned silence. After all, Calista and Zael couldn't possibly imagine the rough and tough Syrenne they knew becoming a gentle mother. Mirania laughed in a way that was unique to her.

"That was what I thought at first too. Oh well, Lowell will have to deal with it. Anyway, I need to get back to my room soon and make sure little Horace is behaving himself. After all, I don't trust James to watch over him properly." She bowed quickly and left. A few years ago, Mirania had met and gotten acquainted with a traveling mercenary named James. The two got along wonderfully, and a while after Calista and Zael's marriage, Mirania and James came next, followed by Syrenne and Lowell. Yurick had met Aria soon after them. Aria had been lying on the floor in front of Lazulis Castle, weary from some circumstance that none of them were aware of, except Yurick, if she chose to tell him. Ever since then, she had stayed with Syrenne and Lowell, and she became rather attached to Yurick. He didn't seem to mind, and Aria certainly had no intention of leaving so soon. The group didn't feel that they should let go of Aria either. Her magic was completely unique, nothing they had ever seen before. Just by singing, she could hurt a monster more than normal magic could. Combine that with her double sword skills, she was a valuable partner in case of an emergency.

Calista sighed. It was Lisa's birthday, and if she wasn't careful, the surprise that they had planned would be ruined. She really needed to lock up that room and inform the maids and knights before Lisa accidentally finds out.

Meanwhile, Lisa took a quick nap. Well, for her it seemed quick. To the maids, it seemed like two hours of pure bliss. Lisa wasn't throwing any tantrums, and the maids could relax a bit. When she woke up, it was still snowing, and the snow covered the ground in a thick blanket. Lisa pouted. She pulled on a coat over her dress and headed towards the court yard. She went into the military wing, ignoring the comments from the knights and mages. She took the elevator up to the top, where Zael had first controlled Lazulis island through the Outsider's power. Therius stood there, surveying the land. He knew Lisa was behind him, but he ignored that fact and let her wander a bit before she tackled him from behind.

"Theri!" she yelled. Therius twitched. Lisa had a problem saying almost any name. She said Therius as "Theri" , Aria as "Ari", Yurick as "Yuri" (he seemed rather irritated at that name, perhaps because of the feminine tone to it), Mirania as "Mira", Syrenne as "Siri", and Lowell as "Lowe". James and Horace seemed to be the only names she didn't have a problem saying.

"Yes, Lisa, what is it?" She giggled.

"Teach me how to use a sword! Teach me!" Therius sighed. Many times he had been asked, and he refused just as many times. Why Lisa also ended up inheriting both Zael and Calista's stubbornness was a mystery he didn't want to solve.

"I was told by your parents not to teach you yet. Your brother can begin, but you are still only five years old. You have to be two years older before you can begin." Lisa pouted.

"But I want to start now!" she whined. If this continues, Therius thought sourly, he won't be let off with just a headache. Far from it. A migraine would be closer to the truth. Lisa really knew just how to irritate the hell out of Therius when he was already at breaking point. Of course, he had a guess where the talent came from, but it would definitely be impolite to actually say anything about it.

Sighing, Therius patted Lisa's head gently. She looked up at him with her grey eyes, an unspoken question clear in her gaze. It was almost enough to make Therius bend the rules. Almost, but not quite. He was a knight after all, and he would follow the rules to the letter. Ever since Zael and Calista had returned to Lazulis Island after their tour around several exotic lands, Therius had been somewhat overworked from all of the preparations for various ceremonies, some of which were completely absurd according to Zael, but Calista and a few other stubborn women insisted. Luckily, Lisa didn't seem to have inherited the tendency towards wanting anything absurd.

Therius struggled internally for a moment, then pushed Lisa gently towards the exit.

"I can't teach you. That's the rules and you should know them. If you're bored, you should go help out at the library." One of the nearby knights stifled a laugh. Typical Therius, he thought. It was so like him to treat Zael and Calista's daughter with the respect of an adult. Lisa apparently picked up on the attitude towards her and merrily agreed, speeding out of the door as Therius watched her leave with a slightly sour look on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Lisa got to the library, she quickly realized that everything was under control and she was unneeded. Extremely unhappy despite being a year older, she stalked back to her room and jumped into her bed fully clothed. She could feel the hot tears streaming down her face. One of the maids patted her head gently, feeling slightly worried for the young miss. Lisa swatted the hand away half-heartedly. She didn't feel up to throwing a tantrum like she normally did, so instead she buried her face in her pillow and settled for making the pillow soaked with tears. She couldn't believe that her birthday had become so disastrous. First, it was snowing. Second, she couldn't start learning sword-fighting like her brother. Third, her parents were busy on the most important day of her five year old life. It was completely unfair! She could picture in her mind the many privileges her brother Horace had. Sword fighting, being able to wander around Lazulis city, being able to go anywhere in the castle (except for a few parts that neither he nor Lisa would ever want to go to anyway), among other things.

A knock interrupted her disgruntled thoughts. Calista opened the door tentatively. She sat down on Lisa's bed and stroked her daughter's silvery-bronze hair softly.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked. Lisa sniffled, secretly relieved her mother had found some time to talk to her.

"It's snowing on my birthday and no one will pay any attention to me." Calista was slightly surprised at her daughter's tone, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Lisa, do you want to know why we're so busy?" Lisa nodded her head, still not looking up from her pillow. "It's because we were preparing a surprise for you." At the mention of a surprise for her, Lisa's head snapped up in excitement.

"What is it?" she asked in curiosity. Zael chuckled from the doorway, having watched the mother and daughter's interaction.

"Well, Lisa, if we told you, it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, would it?" His daughter pouted and tried to use the puppy eyes trick. Of course it didn't work as both parents and their child were very stubborn. Eventually, Zael gave in and laughed. "Fine, we'll tell you… later tonight." He watched Lisa with an amused twinkle in his eyes. Calista glared at her husband.

"Don't encourage her so much! You know she's looking forward to this." Zael walked over to his family (minus Horace, who was staying with Mirania and James for the time being) and hugged them. They stayed that way for a little longer before Lisa finally couldn't take it anymore and yawned loudly. Throwing a tantrum was hard work for her. Calista smiled affectionately at her daughter and let Lisa sleep a while. She left the room with Zael in tow. Two hours later, the entire castle had been decorated with every color of the rainbow. Lisa woke up to an empty room. She thought it was pretty strange, seeing as the maids would normally be there when she woke. As usual, she washed her face and dried off before stepping out of her room, only to be greeted by a man in a tailcoat, bowing to her.

"Allow me to escort you, my lady," he said. When he lifted his head, Lisa nearly fell over in shock. Lowell. She had never, ever imagined that Lowell of all people would actually wear anything formal. She hadn't ever seen any of the former mercenaries wear anything formal, with the exception of her mother (but she was fully aware that her mother wasn't a mercenary before meeting her father and his friends). Giggling, she followed Lowell to the main hall of Lazulis Castle. When she got there with Lowell, she shrieked in delight. Tables had been set up and decorated with pink table cloths and beautiful pink carnations in white vases at the center of each. A huge table in the center of the room held a birthday cake with the words "Happy Birthday Lisa!" scrawled onto it in light pink icing. Zael and Calista sat at the middle table along with Lisa's brother Horace, Syrenne, James, Mirania, Yurick, Aria, and even Therius, although he didn't look too happy about being forced into a suit. Other than him, however, everyone else was smiling and happy. Aria stood up.

"Come here, birthday girl!" Lisa gladly ran over to Aria, laughing and giggling happily as she did. Lowell followed complacently behind her, until Syrenne whacked his arm.

"You are the worst actor ever!" Lowell winced and rubbed his arm.

"What did I do?" Syrenne blushed and turned away, harrumphing loudly. Still, Lowell could swear that she muttered something about "future" and "children". He prayed that he heard wrong. The two of them watched as Lisa happily blew out her candles, giggling when she left one still lit. By the time she finally managed to get the last stubborn flame blown out, the candle had dripped a few drops of wax onto the cake. No one seemed to notice except for Lisa, though, so she decided to ignore it too. After all, it was a happy day, and Lisa didn't want to ruin it. Of course, her mother noticed and discreetly flicked off the offending piece of wax from the cake. It was a happy day, and when everyone had finally eaten their fill, it was time for presents. Lisa opened package after package, happy at all of the gifts. When she finished, she suddenly realized that her parents hadn't presented anything to her, and that they were missing. Her head turned round and round, searching for her missing parents. As she searched, someone tapped her shoulder, causing her to whirl around suddenly. It was Zael, and he had a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Lisa couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious at her father. After all, her parents didn't disappear for any amount of time if they didn't have something going on. Zael grinned and mussed his daughter's hair.

"Lisa, your mother and I have prepared a very special present for you. Now, most of us here all know how attached you are to Syrenne and the others, so…" he trailed off, noticing the excitement in Lisa's eyes grow as she slowly figured out what was going on. "I've invited them to move into the castle. What do you think?" Lisa squealed happily and tackled her father to the ground. Zael laughed cheerily, gently pulling Lisa off of him and standing up. He wagged his finger at Lisa.

"Now, I know you'll probably want to hug them like you did to me just now, so I've sent Syrenne and Lowell to their room." He turned to everyone still present, his grin still in place. "We can't have anyone tackling Syrenne, otherwise she and Lowell will probably not be very happy around nine months from now." Silence fell as the party-goers processed the information. Aria was the first to figure it out and squealed loudly.

"You're kidding! She's pregnant?!" The entire room heard this and suddenly there was an enormous uproar. Everyone was wondering exactly how such a normally rough person would become a mother. While all of the noise was going on, Lisa stood stock still next to her father. Syrenne, the wild, beer-loving aunt she had always known, pregnant of all things? Lisa may be young, but she knew a few things that adults knew, including what it meant to be pregnant. She could almost imagine what Syrenne and Lowell's child would look like, although she hoped early that the child wouldn't be as alcoholic.

Zael laughed cheerily as the room quieted down a little. Calista, getting slightly agitated, whacked his arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Calista glared at him.

"For letting Lisa learn another thing she isn't supposed to. She already knows about marriage, about fighting, about magic…" She continued to list things that Lisa already knew about. Lisa tried not to laugh at her father's chagrin. With each added category, Zael winced, as he knew very well that most of it was his fault. Finally, Lisa couldn't hold it in anymore and giggled madly at her father's expression. Calista stopped mid-word and smiled fondly at her youngest child.

"I hope this day's been special to you, Lisa." She picked up her child and held her close. "It's going to be lively from now on, huh?" This time, she directed her question to Zael, who patted his daughter gently.

"I'm sure it will be. After all, we already have so many kids wreaking havoc in the castle. Wouldn't hurt to add more." Calista laughed.

"No, it wouldn't. Not physically anyway. Financially, perhaps." Zael raised an eyebrow. What was she talking about? She returned his puzzled expression with her own exasperated glance. "Please don't tell me you forgot how much we spent on repairing the castle after Horace discovered how to make home made bombs." Zael shook his head vigorously.

"I'm not going to forget that in a hurry." he muttered. The next few years would definitely be noisy. And a huge headache.


	3. Author's Note

Hey guys! I know some of you are probably wondering what's coming after that last chapter, seeing as it _is_ a bit of a cliff hanger. ^.^ Well, that's up to you guys. I'm not entirely sure how I want to continue myself, but I do know that I want to continue. Review what you want me to write about, like Syrenne's child, that story about Horace's home made bombs, etc. :3 Tell me what you think, and I'll try to write it. Of course it probably won't be in chronological order, but at least there'll be something to read. :3

Okay, I have no idea what else to say, so I'm going to end it here. Til next time~

XFallenAngelXxX


	4. Chapter 3

Almost a year prior to Lisa's birthday, when she was still only four years old, Zael and Calista had had the king of headaches. It all started with a simple question…

"Daddy? What's a bomb?" Horace asked innocently. Zael froze. Boy, was he in for it now. Calista flinched when she heard Horace's question. She turned to her son and smiled sweetly.

"Horace, sweetie, where did you find that term?" Horace looked confused. Had he done something wrong? The only other time he had heard his mother use such a tone was when he had accidentally broken a precious vase and tried to lie about it. His mother (he had no idea how) knew he had broken it, but used the same sweet tone to coax a confession out of him. Afterwards, he had been locked out of the castle for several hours, during which he ended up wandering around the city until Ariela found him and took him to her tavern, then called his mother over to bring him back. Luckily, that was the only time he had ever been locked out of Lazulis castle.

"Well, I found it in a book in the library… Mommy? Did I do something wrong?" Calista shook her head.

"No, you didn't but your father did." She turned to Zael, smiling happily although to Zael, that made it all the more frightening. He could picture Calista blasting him out of the window. "Go and play, Horace. I'll talk to you later." Horace ran out of the room obediently. No matter how much he loved his mother, she terrified him. As he shut the door, he could hear something that sounded like his mother yelling at his father and some type of noise he couldn't quite identify. He thought it might have been magic, but he couldn't be sure. The only magic he had ever seen was Mirania's healing and Aria's singing. He hadn't actually seen his mother's magic, although according to his father, Calista had used magic in front of him before, except that he wasn't awake at the time.

"Horace!" A voice startled him from his thoughts. He turned around, looking for the source. Yurick stood behind him, arms crossed.

"Pay attention to where you're going! You almost crashed into that wall." Sheepishly, Horace finally took note of his surroundings, realizing that he had been too deep in thought to worry about crashing into anything – or anyone. He shook his head. Ever since finding that term and seeing his parents' reactions to it, his curiosity had grown increasingly hard to control. He debated internally for a while before he decided to ask Yurick.

"Yurick, what's a bomb?" Yurick stared at the little boy for a while before he answered, stifling laughter.

"It's an explosive device. If you have one, you can use it to blow up a big area. It's sort of like my fire magic, except in a metal ball." His shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "Let's hope your father survives…" Horace, not understanding what Yurick was saying, cocked his head to the side. However, now that he know what a bomb was, he would definitely try to get one. Fire magic in a metal ball sounded very interesting to the six-year-old boy. He thanked Yurick quickly and ran towards the library, intent on finding the book he had been reading before. When he got there, however, he was surprised to see his mother tossing the very same book he had been reading into the fire. His mother turned, only to jump when she saw him behind her.

"Oh, hello, sweetie. What are you doing here?" Horace shook his head. He had a bad feeling about telling his mother, but ever since he was very young, his mother had drilled "honesty is the best policy" into his head.

"I was trying to find the book you just tossed into the fire, mommy…" He trailed off, uncertain of whether or not to continue. He was right to stop. Calista twitched, then dragged him out of the library. She pointed a stern finger towards him.

"Now, Horace, I don't want you ever looking for that book. Understand?" Horace nodded meekly. Even though he had been caught by his mother, his curiosity about bombs couldn't be suppressed. Maybe Syrenne would know something. He asked his mother if he could go out into Lazulis City. Not quite trusting her son anymore, Calista agreed apprehensively. At least she would know that he was safe, considering how much better Lazulis City was now that Therius and Zael had forced all of the knights through rigorous training and moral lessons. Horace walked slowly to Ariela's tavern. He wondered briefly whether Syrenne would be drunk again, but decided that it didn't matter. After all, it was the middle of the day, and Syrenne couldn't possibly be drunk at this time of the day. In a few minutes, he located Ariela's tavern and went in.

"Auntie Syrenne!" Syrenne turned at his voice. Her eyes widened.

"Little Horace?! You really shouldn't be here!" A few drunken men turned, laughing raucously.

"Ooh, look who's here! The Countess' little boy!" Syrenne whacked their arms.

"Put a sock in it, lumpy." She turned back to Horace, and patted his head. "Let's talk outside." Horace followed Syrenne out to the plaza, curiosity still burning in his eyes. Syrenne stopped at an ornate bench next to the fountain and sat them down. "Now then... What's got you all bothered that you'll come looking for your Auntie Syrenne, hm?"

"What's a bomb? Do you know how to make one? Please tell me, Auntie Syrenne!" Her reaction puzzled Horace greatly. She laughed, and continued to do so for a few minutes. When she finally calmed down enough to speak coherently, she pulled Horace up.

"Let's go visit your namesake, shall we?" She pulled him to a shop at the corner near Ariela's tavern. "Horace? You in there?" She yelled loudly enough that other people turned to stare at them curiously before returning to their business. A timid voice answered her through the door.

"Y-yes, just a second!" The door opened and a very timid looking man appeared in the doorway. "Oh! Syrenne! Well, come on in... W-what can I do for you?" Try as he might, the poor man couldn't quite conceal his fear for the pregnant-but-dangerous woman at his door. He opened the door wider, and let the pair in. Meredith smiled at them warmly.

"Welcome! How can we help you?" Syrenne moved towards a shelf in the back of the room, inspecting the products.

"Do you have any bombs in stock? Traps would work too." Merideth looked surprised.

"Why would you need any of those?" Syrenne smiled wanly at her.

"Curiosity from a five year old. I promised Zael I would help him watch his kid, and in order to do that, I have to help him learn, don't I?" Horace (Jr.) looked up at his Auntie Syrenne with a bit of surprise.

"But mommy said that you weren't supposed to teach me anything violent. She said that daddy already told you?" Syrenne raised an eyebrow.

"Well, then, keep your mouth shut, alright? I don't want to get in trouble with your parents, considering they can both fry me into a crisp." Slightly worried for Syrenne, he nodded vigorously. Syrenne smiled.

"Right then, let's get started." The pregnant woman scanned the shop for some materials. Fascinated by the weaponry, Horace wandered among the weapons and raw materials, touching things on display and even trying out a mini model of one of the heavier swords. As he was a child, even the model was quite heavy in his hands. As he was about to put the sword down, he heard Syrenne call for him near the exit.

"I've got what I need, so let's keep going." To Horace's chagrin, they entered what looked like a general store, where Syrenne picked up some matches and a package of flour. Unfortunately for Horace, a few old ladies scattered around the store pinched his cheeks and simpered at him in their own "special" way (which to Horace meant spittle and a lot of crooning). Luckily, Syrenne was a pretty fast shopper, and they were out of the shop in around ten minutes. Grinning, Syrenne pulled Horace to Lazulis Castle, where she asked for an open clearing. A mage pointed her in the right direction. Once at the clearing, Syrenne went around asking people to clear out so they wouldn't be hurt. She dumped the flour sack and the box of matches on the ground next to Horace.

"Now, you have fun with those. I can't really help you since... Well, my stomach should tell you." Horace understood, but he still felt a little unhappy that he'd most likely get all the blame if the bomb worked. After Syrenne left, Horace stood there for a while, unsure of what to do. He wanted to make a bomb, or something similar, but what could he do with flour and matches? Then it dawned on him. He could set the flour on fire! Excited, Horace grabbed one of the sacks of flour and dragged it away from the others. He tried several times to strike a match, until one of them finally worked. Quickly, he tossed the match on the flour sack and ran as far from it as possible. Yurick's Big Bang spell had taught him to stay far, far away from impending fire. The flour sack burned for a few seconds without any reaction, but suddenly, it exploded with a loud bang. A few people screamed as the force of the exploding flour tore down three walls and even unhinged a door, sending it flying right into a soldier. Luckily, the soldier was Therius, and he managed to survive. No one was killed, but several people fainted from shock. Calista heard the explosion from far away and went to check on it with Zael. What she found made her almost faint, but, being more strong willed than most ladies, she didn't faint and instead turned on her husband.

"Zael... I believe I gave you _fair warning_ about _explosions._" she seethed. Zael gulped. He may be physically stronger than Calista, but she still terrified him when she was angry. No sword nor shield could protect him from her magic as effectively as he wanted them to. He tried to change the subject from his impending doom.

"Um... Well... I think our priority should be the repairs..." Wrong subject. Calista's eyes narrowed further.

"Yes, the repairs should be our first priority. However, your punishment could also come first. How does rebuilding the castle sound?" Zael gulped. At least she hadn't fire her magic at him.

"G-good, I guess..." Horace stood in the middle of the field, watching his parents. He couldn't hear a single word that they said, but judging by his father's expression, he and his sister would at least be grounded for three weeks. Either that or cleaning dungeon cells. Whatever punishment they received, Calista would still terrify them all.


	5. Chapter 4

Syrenne winced as her baby kicked yet again. It was almost nine months already, and three days after Lisa's birthday. The disaster with the flour explosion was at least eight months ago, although to almost everyone involved, it felt like a year had already passed. Syrenne was beginning to feel worried for her baby, since it was getting close to the doctor's estimation of the baby's birth day. She really hoped that the baby would be born without any issue.

She patted her stomach fondly, wondering what gender the baby would be. A knock on the door startled her from her thoughts. After calling out her consent, Lowell enered the room with a basket in his hands. He dropped it rather unceremoniously on the table.

"It's a gift from one of your friends at Ariela's tavern. Said you're welcome to challenge him any time." Syrenne scoffed. As if she could drink at a time like this. Lowell sat down next to her on the bed. He patted her hand. "Don't worry about the baby. Everything's going to be fine." He felt her relax and lean against him. He fell into his own reverie as he remembered his and Syrenne's shared past. They had been childhood friends, living in the same town. Neither of them had ever imagined that they would end up like this so many years later. Lowell pulled Syrenne up gently, chuckling softly at her slightly bewildered expression.

"Let's go take a walk. I'm sure you hate being cooped up in here all day." Lowell's smile widened as he saw Syrenne's eyes light up like a child's at Christmas. The pair strolled out to the courtyard, teasing the knights (at their lack of skill, or their lack of experience) and waving at the maids. Of course, they knew better than to tease mages. Calista and Yurick had taught them that the hard way. Even the usually calm and gentle Mirania had showered them painfully with leaves when taunted. Not many people ever dared to taunt mages. Not with the House of Arganan still in control of the entirety of Lazulis Island.

As the pair were casually chatting on a bench, a soldier approached them. The soldier saluted quickly, attracting the couple's attention with his armor's obnoxious clanking and rattling.

"Lord Zael and Lady Calista request your presence. Please follow me." The couple followed the soldier through the halls, keeping relatively silent until they reached the former count's room. Once the soldier had left the room, Syrenne began giggling madly, leaning against Lowell for support. Calista, Zael, and even Lowell (he was supposed to be _used to_ Syrenne's antics by now) all watched her strangely.

"H-he reminds me... of Captain McChuckles!" she said between giggles. Zael laughed and explained to his companions.

"Remember the raid on the Gurak with the whole Lazulis Island? Syrenne, Therius, and I were stuck working with a captain with an obnoxious laugh. He was haughty, self important, and basically had an enormous ego." Calista half-smiled.

"Well, Syrenne, that soldier is Captain McChuckles's nephew." Syrenne's laughter was renewed.

"You're kidding! He had relatives here? The over inflated ego gene must be a family trait then." She sighed, finally having caught her breath, although hysteria still bubbled within her. "Well, why'd you two call us here?" Calista giggled a bit.

"Well, knowing you, you hate being cooped up in a room right? I thought you two might like to know that Zael and I are planning to go on a trip with Horace and Lisa soon. I'd appreciate it if you two could manage the castle while we're gone, but if you'd like, you could come with us?" she half asked. Syrenne cheered.

"No more living in a room!" Lowell laughed. "You know my answer, Calista!" Calista nodded, and cast a questioning glance at Lowell, who returned it with a small smile.

"Where she goes, I go." he replied quietly. Her smile widened.

"Alright then! We should be leaving some time next week. I think Yurick and Aria can handle the castle for a while. Mirania and James usually help out anyway, so they'll have some assistance. In the meantime, I suggest you pack for the trip." The four continued chatting happily about this and that until they were interrupted by Syrenne clutching her stomach in pain. Calisa swiftly jumped into action. She pointed to Zael. "Zael, go get a room ready right now. Yurick and Aria's room should do." Zael nodded and rushed out, quickly instructing a nearby maid to help him. Calista turned to Lowell. "Have one of the maids help you get towels and hot water. Oh and a sling for you." Lowell raised an eyebrow, physically suppressing his panic with curiosity.

"Why a sling?" Calista glared at him viciously, supporting Syrenne.

"Because when she goes into labor, she's probably going to want to hold on to something, namely your arm. Since she's so strong, she'll most likely break it. Now go before I make you take over the job of midwife!" Stubbornly, he stayed a moment longer.

"Can't Mirania heal me?" Calista raised an eyebrow.

"Your loss. Now go!" He ran out the door, shouting for help. In the meantime, Calista used her magic to carry Syrenne to Yurick and Aria's room, as she wasn't physically able to carry a pregnant woman down a corridor and into a room. She kicked out both Yurick and Aria, instructing them to find Mirania in case of injuries and to find Horace and Lisa before they got in the way. The two of them ran to do their jobs. Meanwhile, Syrenne was in pain. This was her first birth and she never knew it could hurt so much. Using her right arm, she found Lowell's hand and squeezed. Hard. Lowell had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling in pain. Another convulsion came over her and she clenched his hand again. Calista, acting as midwife, used soothing words and towels (which Zael handed to her from a few feet away) to try and calm her friend. Zael felt a bit of pity for Lowell, as Syrenne was physically much stronger than Calista, but he also felt a twinge of satisfaction that Syrenne had effectively shut up Lowell's incessant bragging about not having to deal with terrifying mood swings (which Calista had had often during pregnancy). At least he didn't have a wife that could break his arm in two seconds flat.

Syrenne's scream snapped all attention back to her and brought Mirania running through the door, bolting straight for the chair next to the bed. She checked Syrenne for injuries as Calista tried to calm the poor woman.

"It's alright Syrenne. Just breathe. In. Out. In. Out." Calista instructed. Syrenne's ragged breaths could be heard anywhere in the room. "Okay, good. Just keep breathing. Now push!" No one in the room dared to breathe. It seemed so painful. Mirania patted her hand gently.

"Just keep pushing. He'll be out soon." Lowell's irrepressible yell echoed throughout the room. "Oh, hush, Lowell. It's not as bad as your wife right now." Lowell gritted his teeth.

"No, it's worse." He let out another loud yelp as Syrenne's iron grip tightened on his hand. A sickening crack sounded from Lowell's hand. Calista winced.

"Sorry Lowell. Mirania and I can heal that later. Just bear with it for a while longer." She got a whimper in response. "Okay, Syrenne. You're almost there. Keep pushing, and he'll be out in no time." Another scream followed by an even louder yell and another crack echoed through the room. To the people outside (namely, Yurick, Aria, Lisa, Horace, and Therius), the sounds coming from the room scared them. It sounded extremely painful for both Lowell and Syrenne. As they anxiously waited, Therius vowed to himself that he would never marry a woman as strong as Syrenne. They waited for almost an hour, listening to the assorted sounds coming from the room, alternating between frantic instructions or unintelligible pained cries. Lisa held on to her brother's sleeve, tears welling in her eyes from the shrill shrieks of pain. Horace himself was clutching Aria's skirt tightly, and she, in turn, was involuntarily wincing at each scream and holding on to Yurick's hand. Therius was slightly more composed, though he shuddered each time he thought of his future being like this.

Suddenly, the door opened with a haggard-looking Calista standing in the doorway. All was silent - except for the baby's cries. She grinned.

"It's a girl." she said simply. Aria cheered, letting go of Yurick's hand.

"No risk of explosions!" Calista laughed. She moved to the side to let the others into the room. Syrenne sat up on the bed, cradling the newborn baby girl. She looked up at the five who had been waiting outside came in.

"Her name is Sylvia." she said, smiling beatifically. Yurick looked around the room, stifling his laughter when he saw Lowell sitting on the second bed.

"Lowell, don't you regret marrying a woman as strong as Syrenne?" he asked. Lowell looked over to his wife briefly, forgetting that Mirania was healing his broken fingers.

"No, never." he replied, smiling. Then he turned to Yurick, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And I'll bet that you'll never regret meeting Aria." Yurick blushed and turned away.

"Shut up." he muttered. Lowell chuckled. The pair turned back to the happy scene. Everyone was chatting happily, the tension disappearing from the room. Lowell winced.

"Hey Mirania, can't you be a bit gentler with my fingers?" Mirania gave him a wan smile, and he gulped when he saw the glint in her eyes.

"No. This is payback for last time when you ran off _without me _to go and catch that escaped prisoner." A few minutes later, she was done, but now Lowell was beginning to wonder how long that heal would last. Mirania _did_ have that ability now, after all. He and Yurick joined the now-boisterous conversation. Lisa cheered happily, though remnants of the tears from before were still visible in her eyes.

"I'm going to have a little sister!" Horace scoffed.

"Dummy. The baby's not related to us." She pouted.

"But she'll be at the castle most of the time, so she can pretend like our little sister, right, Auntie Syrenne?" Syrenne smiled.

"If you want, you can help me take care of her." Lisa cheered, sticking her tongue out at her brother, who instantly held her in a headlock and began mussing her hair. "Stop that! It took me hours to finish helping Lisa with her hair this morning!" Syrenne cried in dismay. Reluctantly, Horace let go as the rest of the ex-mercenaries (including Aria) burst into laughter.

"Leave it to Syrenne to worry about _that _rather than anything else." Zael laughed. The happy group continued to chat and laugh happily, stopping only when both Syrenne and the newborn baby Sylvia both fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. Lowell smiled.

"Any volunteers to help me carry them to bed?" Aria shook her head.

"No, let them stay. I don't mind. I'll just go sleep over at Ariela's tavern for the night." she said, smiling at the sleeping mother and baby. Lowell grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye, one that made Aria more than a little wary.

"Or, you and Yurick could share a bed." he suggested, grinning. Aria and Yurick both blushed profusely.

"Shut up."


End file.
